Deciding the facial fate of Tommy Trojan

Kenny Morris, the iconic drum major of the Trojan Marching Band this season, has been festooned with a goatee so far this fall. But he's heard comments -- both positive and negative -- about his facial hair and how it fits with the look of the famous character he represents, so he's bringing the matter to the court of public opinion (also known as the readers of USCRipsIt).

"I've grown somewhat attached to it," Morris, a senior, said about the goatee he's had since mid-August. "But I'm not against shaving it, I'm always up for a change."

Morris, a native of Kailua, Hawaii, said it's been at least seven seasons since a USC drum major -- "Tommy Trojan" -- has had a full goatee, so he understands why some people want him to be clean shaven.

"I'll leave it up to the fans," Morris said.

So the decision is in your hands -- should Tommy Trojan keep the goatee or go with the clean-shaven look? The results will hopefully be on display come Saturday afternoon, when USC and Notre Dame face off on NBC, with Morris getting plenty of TV time throughout.

Keep it if you like it. What matters most is that you are at the top of your game on gameday. If the beard makes you think, Win Forever, then it's what should be. Having people vote is crazy... as they are not you. If we'd have had a vote about Pete Carroll at game 5 of his first season, where would we be now? Gut feelings are always better than mass opinion.